These are the first images of what is left of the Syrian city of Palmyra after ten months of ISIS control.
The city was recaptured by Assad troops on Friday, according to state television.
President Bashar al-Assad told state TV, the recapture showed the success of the army's strategy in combating terrorism.
But the extent of the devastation ISIS had wrought on the ancient city soon became apparent as photography and drone images emerged.
UNESCO world heritage site, The Temple of Bel lay could be seen lying deserted and decimated.
The terrorist group sparked a global outcry after seizing Palmyra in May 2015 and setting about destroying some of its most treasured monuments.
However, after viewing some of the damage, Syria's antiquities chief said the priceless artefacts were in better condition than they had first feared.
"We were expecting the worst. But the landscape, in general, is in good shape," Maamun Abdulkarim told AFP from Damascus. "We could have completely lost Palmyra... The joy I feel is indescribable."
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed IS has lost the town, saying there were many deaths among the extremists.
It was also reported that ISIS had booby-trapped the city as they fled.
Russian air-strikes had largely weakened the stronghold meaning a ground invasion was finally possible.
On Saturday, Russia's defence minister said Russian jets carried out 40 air sorties near Palmyra in the past day, hitting 158 targets and killing over 100 militants.
Palmyra, known as the 'Bride of the Desert,' used to attract tens of thousands of tourists every year as recently as the mid-2000s.
But the eruption of the Syrian civil war eventually saw the city fall under ISIS control.
Drone footage from over the 2,000-year-old amphitheatre in the heart of Palmyra reportedly shows blood stains as it was believed to be regularly used for public executions.
It is where ISIS murdered the city's chief archaeologist Khaled Asaad in August 2015, amidst international condemnation.
It is understood ISIS tortured and then decapitated Asaad after he refused to reveal where many of the city's priceless artifacts had been hidden.
The 81-year-old archaeologist had spent 50 years working in the ancient city before it was seized by the terrorists.